4 out of 4 stars
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“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. − Confucius”
These ominous words are how Three Graves, written by Zack Kaplan, begins. Richard Pembroke, who is a drug lord in Los Angeles, kidnaps Colin Graves and his wife, Betty, thinking that Colin is the leader of a rival gang. Richard kills Colin's wife and severely injures Colin before getting a phone call telling him he has the wrong man. While Colin is being driven away to be disposed of, his brother, who is a cop, inadvertently finds him while making a traffic stop and rushes him to a doctor to save his life. Depressed over losing his wife and angry about being maimed and the inability to use his body as before, Colin and his brother, Dane, plot to take down Richard, his minions, and his drug empire. This will be a difficult and dangerous task to perform.
Zack Kaplan gets our attention at the beginning of this book and masterfully holds it until the end. This is a descriptive, action-packed, plot-driven novel concerning the dark side of L.A. and some of its police force. The story follows two different alternating timelines. We are not told the times, but one is present day and the other is months to possibly a year or two in the past. As I was reading, I often asked myself what the past had to do with the present story, but it is made abundantly clear by the end of the book. With its stunning implications, this surprise blending of the two timelines was my favorite part of the book. As they moved from one unpredictable, intense event to another, I was captivated by the plot that included several twists. These were followed by a surprise ending. All the loose ends are answered by the conclusion.
The main characters are not your usual run-of-the-mill protagonists. These men are flawed but interesting. Colin loves his wife dearly and grieves for her. Dane loves his brother and sat by his bedside when he was injured. They are both constantly cracking jokes, even in dangerous situations. The number of jokes may have been slightly overdone, and I think I would have enjoyed it more if there were fewer, but this was just a part of their personalities. It did lessen the tension a bit. However, we see the dark side of human nature residing in these characters as well. Colin is an ex-police officer, and he and Dane have become used to making their own justice as cops and don’t think the law applies to them anymore. They want revenge now and mercilessly set about getting it.
A lot of vulgar and racial slurs are spoken by the characters in the story, but their conversations are believable since they are criminals trying to look tough. Descriptive torture and murder are a big part of the book and sensitive people might want to steer clear of it. It was a little too much for my taste and was my least favorite part.
Only four errors were found in the book, so I think it was professionally edited.
This well-written story deserves 4 out of 4 stars because it is captivating and difficult to put down. I believe readers who like dark crime dramas and suspense novels would enjoy the story. People sensitive to torture and murder should steer clear of this book as there is quite a bit here. It is not appropriate for children.
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Three Graves
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